Regal Heights Healthcare & Rehab Center

My grandmother spent the last 6 years of her life after her stroke in and out of different nursing homes. She spent roughly the last three years at Regal Heights in Hockessin. Compared to the other places we visited her (including my aunt's house), Regal Heights was certainly a lovely place. Set back from the road, the grounds had the feel of a sort of country house or manor from years past. There were lots of trees, and from most angles the rooms looked out upon fields. Visiting family members were encouraged to take their loved one for a walk or a ride outside. The residents were encouraged to socialize the best they could, which was easier for some residents than others. There were schedules for bingo and movie nights, and there were communal chairs and televisions the residents could sit around together; the rooms also had televisions hanging from the ceiling over each bed. Since it is a long-term care facility, the residents are allowed to decorate however they please: my grandmother was allowed to keep small plants, and her roommate was able to hang pictures of dogs on the bathroom door. Although I never ate there, the menu, especially around the holidays, seemed standard enough. But what I most liked about Regal Heights was the people. The nurses and the assistants were all incredibly nice, genuinely good-hearted people. They are well-trained to respond to almost anything, including unruly family members of residents. They also were very patient with Grandmom, especially with her aphasia; by the end of it, they were very good at interpreting what she was saying. My grandmother passed away last year, and while I know she didn't like being there (but in that position, who would?), she liked it much better than the other places she had been. That is why I gave it 4/5.